Pertamina to Seeks Talisman's Expertise for Shale Exploration

Pertamina which has signed a deal to explore the Sumbagut shale gas block in North Sumatra is likely to tap into the expertise of Canada’s Talisman Energy for the exercise.

“We have sent people to work with Talisman in Calgary,” said Wahidin, the corporate secretary for Pertamina’s upstream subsidiary Pertamina Hulu Energi, Reuters reported.

The company had no immediate plans to seek partners in the exploration block, but Wahidin said Pertamina was open to the idea.

“There is a possibility that will happen in future, but it hasn’t happened yet. We are just studying there now,” Reuters quoted him as saying.

Indonesia has been struggling with declining energy output amid growing domestic demand and is looking to exploit various energy sources including unconventional gases like shale gas and coal bed methane.